Yes, travelling alone you will probably be deemed as a sex tourist regardless of what you wear. Many of the sex tourists are businessmen who dress quite well. Just go, enjoy your time, and forget about what people are thinking about you. You can't control that. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is your own self-respect.

If you're going to travel extensively, I definitely recommend going to Cambodia and seeing Angkor Wat. I think traveling throughout SE Asia and missing that is a bit like going to the Middle East and not going to the pyramids.

Yes and no. If your hanging out in Pattaya, Kuta, or Angeles City, then yes, you will probably be seen as a sex tourist, and rightfully so. If you're traveling around and hitting up the quieter, more cultural spots, chances are people won't put too much thought into it. I met a lot of older, single white guys in Laos, in particular, and the stereotype didn't really seem to have followed them (as prostitution is significantly less prominent there than it is in much of Thailand).

Yes and no. If your hanging out in Pattaya, Kuta, or Angeles City, then yes, you will probably be seen as a sex tourist, and rightfully so...

Rightlfully so? Don't you have to have sex with someone you picked up in those places to be "rightfully" seen as a sex tourist?

Anyway, no one will think twice about your travel through S.E. Asia. The economies and tourism are booming and people of all shapes, sizes and ages travel through, no one will blink an eye.

Perhaps that was a poor choice of words, but in the case of Pattaya or Angeles City there is really no reason to spend any time there if you're not partaking in the local offerings. I passed through Pattaya on my way to some islands and it was full of single male sex tourists and Korean families who seemed oblivious to the thirteen year olds selling themselves on the street in front of their hotels. In Kuta I found that most people saw three possible outcomes for a guy:

1) Have a girlfriend.

2) Pick up hookers.

3) Gay.

Why anyone would want to spend any serious time in those dumps is beyond me.

Yes and no. If your hanging out in Pattaya, Kuta, or Angeles City, then yes, you will probably be seen as a sex tourist, and rightfully so...

Rightlfully so? Don't you have to have sex with someone you picked up in those places to be "rightfully" seen as a sex tourist?

Anyway, no one will think twice about your travel through S.E. Asia. The economies and tourism are booming and people of all shapes, sizes and ages travel through, no one will blink an eye.

Perhaps that was a poor choice of words...

Yeah, I guess it was your choice of works I had a problem with. FYI, Angles City is directly adjacent to Clark Airfield, aka its new name Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA). It has an ever expanding airport terminal and is a minor hub for Cebu Pacific, TigerAirways and AirAsia.

As I pointed out, there's a difference between passing through Hookerville for a night and hanging out there as a tourist destination. If someone tells me they like going to Pattaya I'm going to assume they like paying for sex, as there's no other reason to go there. I've passed through Angeles Cityon my way to Clark, that doesn't mean I'd spend my trip there.

Yea, I'm looking at going there for a few months between contracts in fall and winter.

I'm finally applying to do the CELTA in Pattaya which would, in my mind, be less hustle and bustle than Bangkok.

Even in Korea I stay home at night so no worries there although it'd be pretty easy to get mesmerized.

I'd recommend CELTA in Chiang Mai over Pattaya (I'm retry sure they offer it there). The beach in Pattaya is pretty crappy, the restaurants are bad, and you'll be hounded by hookers pretty much everywhere you go. Unless you're really set on the beach and Pattaya is your only option, I would suggest avoiding it.

Do your CELTA (if you actually meant CELTA) in CM or BKK then head a bit farther east than Pattaya (Chanthaburi is nice, cheaper than Pattaya or Phuket and pretty much undiscovered by falangs) for your beach down time.